The Space Between
by Adrienne2
Summary: What happened after "A Simple Twist of Fate"? Luby


"The Space Between"

By: Adrienne

Spoilers: Season eight, through "It's All in Your Head"

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to NBC and Warner Bros.

Luka Kovac stormed out of the Windbreaker Bar, pure rage and adrenaline surging through his veins. He was overcome by anger, defeated by grief. Anger for the miserable excuse of a man he had just pummeled inside the bar and grief for the fragile, scared woman he couldn't seem to help, no matter how hard he tried. Luka closed his eyes and clenched his fists as he remembered the defeated yet still proud expression Abby's face beheld when he walked into the exam room earlier that evening. He'd been so frightened when he first saw her like that and those ugly, hurtful words he'd uttered so many nights ago suddenly came back to him. "You're not that pretty, you're not that special." God, how he wished that Abby knew how much he wanted to take those words back right now.

The tension in that exam room was tangible; everyone could feel it. His heart ached for Abby's embarrassment while he was examining her, and he almost excused himself from the room for both their sakes. But she looked so lost that he just couldn't leave her. Then Susan Lewis mentioned the possibility of rape and his already barely contained anger boiled over. Memories flooded him. The first time he and Abby made love. Playful trysts in the drug lock-up. Early morning passion and middle of the night tenderness. Then the violent image of someone taking that precious and sacred act and turning it to something vile and illicit. The thought made him physically ill, and he quickly made an excuse to go check on her CAT scan results.

Then came the waiting. He paced outside the room for what seemed like hours. There were so many thoughts running through his mind, but the only thing that came with any clarity was the yearning to run into that room and hold her and tell her that it would all be all right. After what seemed an eternity, Susan emerged from the exam room. Luka hurriedly explained the CT results, and then somehow found the courage to ask the question he so desperately needed answered. "Was she…?" But the words were caught in his throat. He couldn't say the word. When the answer came, he was relieved and set out to find the man who had caused so much damage to a woman he still cared so dearly about.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Abby Lockhart sighed in frustration for the millionth time that night. She looked around the unfamiliar surroundings of Dr. Lewis's apartment, and yearned for the comfort of her own bed and clothing. The swelling around her nose and eye had gone down considerably, but the bruise was still darkening and the tenderness remained. 

She knew she was safe here, that Brian wouldn't be able to find her, that the police had probably already arrested him. But…there was still that feeling of fear in the back of her mind. What if he was looking for her again? What if he found Joyce? She just couldn't shake that fear.

Suddenly the phone rang, making Abby jump. It rang a second time, and she waited for Dr. Lewis to pick it up; after all, it wasn't her apartment. But who would be calling at 2 a.m.? Susan walked out into the living room. 

"Abby? Are you awake?"

"Yeah."

"The phone's for you," she replied groggily.

"Oh," Abby said, surprised. "Thanks." Abby took the phone from Susan and put it to her ear cautiously. "Hello?" she asked with some trepidation.

"Abby?" a thick accent inquired.

"Luka, is that you?"

"Yes, are you okay?" he asked hurriedly.

"I'm fine, Luka," she told him rather irritably. "Why are you calling so late?"

"I…I just…wanted to make sure you were all right. I couldn't sleep and I wanted to make sure you were all right."

At this, Abby's heart softened. "Oh…thanks. I'm fine, Luka. Really, you don't have to worry about me."

"I'm sorry about calling you so late. Did I wake you up?"

"No, I couldn't sleep either."

"You should have let me give you some stronger medication."

"It doesn't hurt that much, I just can't stop thinking about what happened."

"I'm so sorry, Abby," Luka whispered.

"Don't be, it's not your fault, there's nothing you could have done."

"I know, but still…I'm sorry just the same."

"Thank you. And thanks for calling," Abby told him, indicating that the conversation was over.

"No problem…Can I stop by and see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be at work."

"You're going to work tomorrow?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I'm scheduled."

"Abby…"

"I need to, Luka," she said, and the desperation was clear in her voice.

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Abby replaced the phone in the cradle and laid back down in bed. Luka. She'd missed him while he was in Bosnia, and had been so happy to see him earlier that day. Their relationship had changed so much since the breakup, and in the time that he had been gone, Abby slowly let herself admit that she still harbored feelings for him. But, that was over now. He had gotten over their relationship, why hadn't she?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Abby walked into the ER the next morning with butterflies in her stomach. Why was she so nervous? She kept assuring herself that Brian wasn't going to jump out and attack her. But she didn't like the looks people gave her, the way they now stared at her face and the large bruise that covered nearly half her face. 

The first person she saw was Dr. Weaver. "Oh my God, Abby. I heard what happened. Are you all right?" Abby was taken aback by the chief's words. She had never seen Kerry act so compassionately towards anyone before.

"I'm fine, Dr. Weaver, thanks."

"What are you doing here, though? We got someone to cover your shift, didn't Dr. Lewis tell you?"

"No, she was still sleeping when I left, she must have forgotten."

"Well, we figured you wouldn't be able to work for a couple days, and I really feel that you should take some time off to recover."

"I'm fine, really. I just want to forget about what happened."

"Abby, I think it's necessary for you to take some time off. You may still be in shock, and I think that may even put your patients in danger on some level. So go home, get some rest, recover." Dr. Weaver smiled kindly, "And I won't take no for an answer."

"Thank you, Dr. Weaver," she said, somewhat dejectedly, turning to leave.

"Oh, and Abby," Weaver called out, "if you ever need to talk…"

"Thanks," Abby replied with true gratitude. Wow, she thought, even that woman has a sympathetic side. Abby sighed and prepared herself for the bitter Chicago wind, but just as she walked in the door, Luka walked in.

"Hi," he said cautiously. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," she replied. "Kind of tired."

"I thought you were going to work today."

"I was, but Weaver decided I needed some time off to recover."

"Good." They stood in silence for a few moments, both unsure of what to say. "Do you want to get some breakfast or something?" Luka finally asked.

"I thought you were working."

"No, I was just going to come in to see you. I have today off since I worked last night."

"I was just going to go home," Abby told him.

"Home?" Luka asked incredulously. "You can't go home, not after what happened. What if he's still there?"

"Well, I have to go back sometime, don't I? I mean, I can't stay with Dr. Lewis forever."

"You can stay with me," Luka offered.

Abby looked at him skeptically. "Luka…I don't know. I'll just be home for a little while until I find a new apartment."

"Well, why don't you just stay with me until you find a new apartment? Please, Abby," he pleaded.

She sighed, and looked around the ambulance bay. "Only for a few days. And I'm sleeping on the couch," she said pointedly.

"Whatever you want, I promise," Luka replied happily.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After collecting Abby's belongings from her apartment and settling her in at Luka's, they sat at his kitchen table having some coffee, and for the first time she noticed the faint bruising on his hands.

"Luka," she asked cautiously, "what happened to your hands."

He grimaced, hoping that she wouldn't have noticed. He was afraid of what her reaction would be. "I, uh, had a conversation with Brian last night."

Abby raised her eyebrows. "A conversation?"

"Yes…well, no," he admitted after Abby's pressing expression. "I…I told him if he ever touched you again, I would kill him," Luka finally told her, staring at the table the whole time. "Are you mad?"

"No," Abby replied, placing her hand on top of his. "I'm not, Luka."

He looked up into her eyes, and saw them glistening with tears. "…When I walked into that exam room, I was so scared, Abby. I didn't know what he had done to you, and then I was just angry…I didn't know what else to do."

"Thank you," she whispered.

To be continued…


End file.
